Electric cigar lighter



Sept. 14, 1937. s WOLF-SON 2,093,116

ELECTRIC CIGAR LIGHTER Original Filed April 10, 193] INVENTOR SID I: IEYWOLFSON,

Patented Sept. 14, 1937 UNlTED STATES PATENT OFFICE ELECTRIC CIGARLIGHTER Sidney L. Wolfson, Meriden, Conn., assignor to The CunoEngineering Corporation, Meriden, Conn., a corporation oi Connecticut 6Claims.

This invention relates to the stationary or supporting portion for alighter for cigars, cigarettes, etc., of the type which is adapted to beheated on this support and then withdrawn for use.

Another object is to provide an inexpensive device of this type in whichthe central contact within the supporting tube is insulated from thetube, is slightly yieldable, and is adapted to engage the rim of aheater element.

Fig. 1 is a cross section of one embodiment of this invention.

Fig. 2 shows some of the parts before assembly.

Fig. 3 is a detail of the heater element support.

Referring to Fig. 1 some customary support such as the usual bracket Iattached to the dashboard of an automobile carries a supporting plug ortubular outer contact 3, which is secured thereto by the bent flange 2fitting within and around a perforation in said bracket.

The outer end oi the plug 3 is engaged by the wall or cup-shaped contactring 4 slidable on a metal sleeve 5 in the removable portion which isdescribed and claimed more specifically in my co-pending applicationSerial Number 529,033 filed April 10, 1931, which has now eventuatedinto Patent 1,980,157 dated November 6, 1934, and 01 which patent thisapplication is a division. Carried by the end portion of the removablemember is some type of spiral resistance heater element 8 enclosedwithin the cup-shaped rim 9 illustrated in Fig. 1.

The yieldable interior contact I0 is secured within the supporting plugas illustrated, by means of the eyelet II passing through the disc orwasher I2 of insulating material such as fibre or a phenoliccondensation product or a mixture thereof with asbestos. Disc I2 is heldbetween the end wall 2' of the supporting tube 3 and the bead 3' formedby an inwardly bent portion of said tube which serves to longitudinallyhold the washer I2 in position. As illustrated this washer I2 is of asize to fit within the tube 3 for transversely positioning the centercontacts III and maintaining them insulated from the tube 3 which isgrounded. The conducting lead I3 is secured as shown to the headedeyelet I-l An ornamental dashplate III may be secured to the plug in themanner illustrated.

If desirable yieldable retaining portions I 9 may be stamped out fromthe sides of the plug 3 as shown in Fig. 2 to assist in frictionallyretaining the socket member I in place, although if desired such may beeliminated by giving the socket member a sufiiciently tight fit upon theplug so that no such members III are needed.

Electric current enters through the conductor I3, thence to theyieldable contact I0 and when the socket member is pressed to the leftin Fig. 1 so as to close the circuit between the yieldable contacts IIIand the heater supporting cup or rim 9, the current then flows throughthe heater 8 and its central connection I to the grounded plug or tube3, through ring I in front of heater.

In assembling this lighter the insulating disc I2 carrying the yieldablecontacts III is inserted into the plug 3 from the right end, as shown inFig. 2, after which the flanges holding the washer I! in place may bebent to the shape illustrated in Fig. 1. After securing the washer l2the outer end portion of the plug 3 may then be bent inwardly as shownin Fig. 1.

As shown in Figs. 1 and 2 the central contacts I0 comprise oppositeoutwardly inclined portions extending far enough to receive the adjacentedge of the heater rim or cup radially within them.

On moving the socket and heater toward the central contacts the edge ofthe rim or cup member will be seen to engage the inclined portions ofthis central contact. From Fig. 1 it will be seen that the place ofengagement between the edge of the heater rim and the central contactsis along a portion of the central contacts II] which is inclined atgreater amount to the horizontal than is the inclined portion adjacentthereto.

The opposite contact portions III may be of any desired angular extent,but these opposite portions are preferably not connected except aroundthe eyelet I I in order that they may separately yield slightly underpressure upon the removable part enclosing the circuit, better thanwould be the case if the center contact formed a peripherally continuouscup.

Another advantage in having the outwardly inclined opposite contactsseparated and separately yieldable is that convection currents of airare better able to circulate around and through these contacts on allsides.

Since the opposite contacts III are slightly yieldable it will be seenthat upon pressure of the heater rim against these contacts they willyield slightly with the result that a slight wiping contact occurs onthe edge of the heater rim, and this is true irrespective of whether theremovable socket member be rotated or not.

Should the removable member have a loose fit upon the supporting plug 3the center contacts l0 would tend to center the heater and align thesame. Having the contacts I0 outwardly inclined not only spaces thesecontacts from the supporting washer l2 to enable them to be bettercooled, but

these outwardly inclined portions should be long enough in extent tokeep the central heater contact out of engagement with the rivet ll,since the contact in the center 01 the heater is at substantially groundpotential.

Another advantage of this invention resides in the elimination of anynecessity for closing the circuit by means of a contact engaging therivet in the center of the heater element. In the prior art it had beencustomary for a central heater contact to engage a substantially rigidor yieldable abutment in the stationary member. A butt contact even ifyieldable is not as satisfactory as the slight wiping contact producedby this invention between the opposite conductor portions i0 and theheater rim. Also the use of the contact in' the center of the heater toclose the circuit has been found disadvantageous on account of thiscentral heater contact becoming corroded and dirty from hot ashes andthe like with which it becomes coated in use.

Under this invention the circuit is not closed through any dirty orcorroded contact but instead is made and broken between either or bothof the opposite contacts M3 and the adjacent edge of the heater rim.

The heater rim 9 has its rear edge portion which is adapted to engagewith the stationary contacts ill, beveled as shown at 9a in the generaldirection of the inclination of the stationary contacts Id, as will beseen in the drawing. The vertical wall 9 of the heater support isprovided with large perforations 9' as shown in Fig. 3. The securingmeans i has the inner end of the heater coil fastened thereto and thiscentral securing means is insulated from the heater support 9 as isshown in the drawing, and serves to transmit current to the parts arelikely to get hot, has been found desirable and preferable to a butttype contact whether yieldable or not. A slight yield by the centralcontacts ill under pressure transmitted by the heater rim edge makes atleast a slight wiping contact inherent. The opposite contact between thestationary and removable members is located in front of the heater andmay be for example of the butt type, non-wiping contact formed betweenthe end of the tube 3 and the ring 6. In this invention it will beappreciated that the securing means 1 in the center of the heater whileserving to transmit current, does not have to function as a make andbreak contact which would be likely to become seriously corroded bycigar ashes and the like.

I claim:

1. A stationary supporting member for a removable cigar lighter, whichmember comprises a metal tube along which the removable member isadapted to slide, a central contact within said tube and insulatedtherefrom, a. washer on which said central contact is mounted fortransversely positioning the contact within the tube, and means forlongitudinally positioning said washer in said tube which comprises aninwardly bent portion of tube material intermediate the ends of saidtube and contiguous at least one side of said washer, said inwardly bentportion of tube material clamping the washer against an end wall of saidtube and forming a groove around the periphery of said tube.

2. A stationary supporting member for a removable cigar lighter, whichmember comprises a metal tube along which the removable member isadapted to slide, a central contact within said tube and insulatedtherefrom, a washer on which said central contact is mounted fortransversely positioning the contact within the tube, and means forlongitudinally positioning said washer in said tube, said centralcontact comprising outwardly inclined slightly yieldable angularlyspaced portions adapted to engage the edge of a heater rim and permit awiping contact therewith upon either relative translation between theheater rim and contact or upon relative rotation between these parts,said angularly spaced portions being widely spaced and shaped tofacilitate the circulation of heated air between them.

3. A stationary member for supporting a quickly removable portion of-acigar lighter, which comprises a metal tube adapted to be connected toone side of an electric current source of supply, a contact in said tubeinsulated therefrom to constitute a terminal or electric contact adaptedto be connected to the other side of said source of supply, saidinsulated contact being substantially coaxial with the tube andincluding a perforate central portion located transversely of the tubeand from which project outwardly inclined portions which are spaced fromthe metal tube and integrally connected by said central portion, andmeans for holding said insulated contact in position in said tube, saidcentral portion radially between its perforation and the outwardlyinclined portions being substantially touching said holding means for alarge part of the diameter of said contact.

4. A stationary member for supporting a quickly removable portion of acigar lighter, which comprises a metal tube adapted to be connected toone side of an electric current source of supply, a contact in said tubeinsulated therefrom to constitute a terminal or electric contact adaptedto be connected to the other side 01 said source of supply, saidinsulated contact being substantially coaxial with the tube andincluding a perforate central portion transversely of the tube and fromwhich project outwardly inclined angularly spaced portions which arespaced radially inwardly of the metal tube and integrally connected bysaid central portion, and means for 'holding said insulated contact inposition in said tube, said contact carried by a transverse washeradjacent the base of said metal tube, having a central portion which isheld to the washer by a headed securing means and the central portion ofthe contact radially outside said headed securing means being adjacentand substantially parallel to said supporting washer.

5. A stationary member for supporting a quick- 1y removable portion of acigar lighter, which comprises a metal tube adapted to be connected toone side of an electric current source of supply, a contact in said-tubeinsulated therefrom to constitute a terminalor electric contact adaptedto be connected to the other side of said source of supply, saidinsulated contact being substantially coaxial with the tube andincluding a per-4 forate central portion transversely of the tube andfrom which project outwardly inclined portions which are spaced radiallyinwardly oi the metal tube and integrally connected by said centralportion,.and means clamping said insulated contact in position in saidtube, and a washer in said metal tube supporting said central contactand its clamping means, the metal tube being bent contiguous each sideof said washer to hold the same in place longitudinally of the tube,said 10 other side of said source of supply, a washer supporting saidcontact in the tube, portions of said tube being bent to hold saidwasher against longitudinal displacement, at least a part of saidportions extending radially inward in back of 15 said washer, saidcontact being held substantially coaxial in said tube and having aperforate central portion held against said washer by a headed securingmeans, the portion of said contact radially beyond said headed securingmeans being parallel. to said supporting washer for a substantialdistance, and outwardly inclined portions integral with said centralportion and adapted to constitute an abutment against which inwardpressure may be applied by a removable member oi a cigar lighter inclosing an electric circuit therethrough, and another contact in frontof said center contact and through which current flows when the circuitthrough the removable member is closed.

SIDNEY L. WOLFSON.

DISCLAIMER 2,093,116..S1'dney L. Wolfson, Men'den, Conn.

dated September 14, 1937. Dis

ELECTRIC CIGAR LIGHTER. Patent claimer filed September 3, 1940, by theassignee, The 011,110 Engineering Corporation. Hereb enters thisdisclaimer to claims 3 and 4 of said Letters Patent.

[ fiic'ial Gazette September 24, 1940.]

